Port Charlotte Islay Barley 2012 50% vol. 0.7 L

A six-year-old Port Charlotte with the character and heart of Islay and 50% vol.

Of Driftwood and Grain

A dram for summer nights. Driftwood bonfires, the sand between your toes and some good company.

Bruichladdich

Summer nights on Islay's beaches, a bonfire, and good friends. That's what the Port Charlotte 2012 Islay Barley from the Bruichladdich Distillery is supposed to be made for, what it's supposed to evoke. The distillery in the west of the Isle of Islay, on the shores of Loch Indaal, focuses on regionality and sources the barley for this bottling exclusively from farmers who are themselves based on the island, even naming them. In total, a third of the annual barley requirement for all Bruichladdich Distillery whiskies is now grown on Islay. For this dram, the grain was harvested in 2011, and a year later, the heavily peated new make was distilled and matured. A quarter of the maturation took place in first-fill casks that had contained Bourbon whiskey, while the other three quarters matured in second-fill wine casks. It matured in the cask for six years before being bottled at a robust 50% vol.

Peat, Bonfire and the Sea

Tasting

Like a whirlwind, the lively aromas catapult out of the glass, and an earthy, tarry peat smoke announces: This is Port Charlotte. Lemon, peach, and green grapes emerge from the dram. Vanilla pods, frothed coconut, and chocolate testify to maturation in American oak. The combination of aromas intertwines more strongly and demands attention. If you give it time to open up, it allows notes of lemon cake, white chocolate, and peach yogurt, wrapped in a velvety cloth of light smoke, to emerge. Palate: Hints of salt enhance the feeling of coast and sea. Dry smoke, salted caramel, and apple sauce. Then lemon drops, lozenges, and ground white pepper. On the palate, the smoke is light and characterized more by tar and charcoal than by medicinal phenols. Towards the finish, the light, gentle dram shows floral edges of sea air; marine and refreshing. The sweetness of oak and barley are wonderfully balanced with the dry peat smoke. The barley, grown on Islay, seems more assertive and brings out the peach and apple notes that are so typical of our drams. Finish: Tar and brine, peat smoke and salt, coconut and tobacco. Close your eyes and the smoke carries you to an Islay beach, to a driftwood bonfire. Tasting Notes from Bruichladdich

Distributor: Bremer Spirituosen Contor GmbH, Gisela-Müller-Wolf-Strasse 7, 28197 Bremen

Storage instructions: Store in a cool, dry place away from sunlight

No sale of alcohol to persons under 18 years of age!